There is a kind of unofficial understanding when someone accepts the position of vice chair to Faculty Senate, according to Faculty Senate Chair Randall Teal.
“Typically the vice chair is who is nominated for chair,” Teal said. “You probably wouldn”t want to accept a nomination for vice chair if you knew you couldn”t or wouldn”t be chair.”
Liz Brandt, current vice chair to Faculty Senate, said she is up for the job.
Brandt was born and raised in Moscow and began her career at UI teaching family law in 1988. She started serving on Faculty Senate in 2013 and said she was involved in issues such as the drafting of a new academic freedom policy and the new Student Code of Conduct.
Brandt accepted the nomination for vice chair because she said she was finally at a point in her career where she knew she would be able to take the time she needed to do a good job.
“I feel like I really owe an obligation to this university,” Brandt said. “It”s been a really great place to be. It is a great place to be and I”m proud of being here.”
Brandt said there are multiple issues facing Faculty Senate this year that she has a vested interest in.
One of these issues is the progress of updating UI”s policy on parenting leave. While she said she is sympathetic to all of the complexities of the policy university administration has to consider, she still thinks UI is lacking when it comes to providing for families.
“I do think those are really important issues,” Brandt said. “And we”re a little bit, I think, behind the times.”
Brandt also said there are problems with Human Resources and overall faculty and staff morale – something Faculty Senate hopes to address this year.
Faculty Senate is also likely to make increasing student enrollment a priority this coming year, Brandt said. But she also said she doesn”t know how involved she will be in the process because of her position representing UI”s College of Law.
“Being at the law school, my world about enrollment is in a different place, so I don”t have a super great feel for how the whole undergrad enrollment stuff works,” she said.
She said Faculty Senate has an obligation to keep things moving forward and committees are a good way to do that.
Brandt said her involvement in Faculty Senate and her long career at UI has helped develop her love toward Moscow and the university community.
“I guess I”m well and truly a Vandal now,” Brandt said. “How about that?”
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer